🇮🇳 Magic in India

162 entries from India, best known first, across 80 places of magic.

Tantra is an esoteric yogic tradition from the Indian subcontinent, initially within Shaivism and Shaktism, later in Buddhism and Vaishnavism. It views the body as divine and uses mantras and rituals to achieve spiritual goals like liberation or supernatural power.

Tantra means loom or weave in Sanskrit
It began in India around the 1st millennium CE
Mantras are central to tantric practice
Sexual practices are rare and restricted
Vajrayana Buddhism uses tantric ideas

Overview

Tantra developed in India around the middle of the first millennium CE. It began in Shaivism and Shaktism before spreading to Buddhism and Vaishnavism. The word means loom or weave, suggesting a system that interlaces different teachings. Practitioners see the human body as a reflection of the cosmos. They aim for union with the divine through complex cosmologies. This path is also called the Path of Mantra. It shares influences with Jainism, Taoism, and Shinto. Western views often wrongly link it to sex, but scholars say sexual practices are rare and restricted.

Practices and beliefs

Practitioners use mantras, rituals, and yoga to transform the self. Goals include siddhi, supernatural accomplishment, and kundalini ascent. Texts describe systems for worship and meditation. Deities, both male and female, are central to ritual worship. Magic, sorcery, and divination appear in these texts. The subtle body is mapped to cosmic elements. Geometric patterns called mandalas guide meditation. Initiation by a teacher is required for many advanced techniques.

Rites and charms

Rites focus on sādhanā, which includes initiation and daily practice. Puja, or ritual worship, honors deities and icons. Meditation helps awaken inner energy. Physical purification techniques cleanse the body and mind. Specific gestures and sounds assign meaning to sacred spaces. The house is swept and salt is thrown at the door in some folk contexts, though Tantra focuses more on internal transformation. These rites are said to protect against negative forces and aid spiritual progress.

Who practises

Tantrikas are adepts who follow specific tantric lineages. They undergo diksha, or initiation, to receive knowledge. Teachers guide students through complex practices. Scholars note that living traditions are often secretive. Ethnography of these groups remains scarce due to this secrecy. Practitioners view their path as a way to realize non-duality. They mix tantric elements with other religious aspects freely.

Regions and communities

Tantra spread across South and East Asia. In Tibet, it influenced Vajrayana Buddhism. Japan has Shingon Buddhism, which uses tantric ideas. China developed Esoteric Buddhism based on Indian tantras. Nepal has Newar Buddhist traditions with tantric roots. Southern Esoteric Buddhism parallels tantric ideas without direct reference. These regional variations show how the tradition adapted to local cultures while keeping core concepts.

The calendar

The text does not specify particular festivals or seasonal events for tantric rites. Practices are often tied to personal sadhana rather than public calendars. Life events may involve tantric rituals for protection or blessing. However, no detailed calendar of ceremonies is provided in the source material.

Law and the state

No information is given about legal status or persecution. The text mentions colonial-era definitions but not modern laws. Western scholarship historically labeled tantra as occult or secret. This was a construction by 19th-century Indologists. There is no mention of state treatment or witch-hunts in the provided article.

Today

Modern views often misrepresent tantra as erotic. Scholars work to correct this by studying texts and living traditions. Anthropological study is difficult due to the secretive nature of practitioners. Some researchers try to demystify the myth of secrecy. The tradition continues to influence Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain practices globally.

Where this page comes from

The facts in this overview come from the Wikipedia article "Tantra", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence. EveryJaadu rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.

Market Oracle Sacred site Trial site or memorial School or museum Town known for a tradition Centre of practice

Places of magic in India

Ujjain 4 Varanasi 4 Gaya 2 Haridwar 2 Khajuraho 2 Mathura 2 Tarapith 2 West Bengal 2 Ahmedabad 1 Anand district 1 Anandpur Sahib 1 Assam 1 Atla village 1 Bhedaghat 1 Bodh Gaya 1 Charkhi Dadri 1 Chidambaram 1 Delhi 1 Deo Sun Temple 1 Dharamsala 1 Dharanikota 1 Erode 1 Gangotri 1 Gorakhpur 1 Griddhraj Parvat 1 Gujarat 1 Guwahati 1 Hastinapur 1 Hirapur 1 Jodhpur 1 Kalighat 1 Kamakhya 1 Kesariyaji Tirth 1 Kolkata 1 Kottarathil Bhagavati temple 1 Kulpakji Tirth 1 Kulu 1 Kumbakonam 1 Kurukshetra 1 Mahendra Mountains 1 Malabar Coast 1 Malliyor Temple 1 Manipur 1 Mataoli 1 Mount Girnar 1 Mount Potalaka 1 Mumbai 1 Nalanda 1 Nashik 1 Oddiyana 1 Omkareshvara Shiva temple 1 Palani Hills 1 Palitana Temples 1 Parkham 1 Patna 1 Prayagraj 1 Rameshwaram 1 Ranakpur Jain temple 1 Ranipur Jharial 1 Rewalsar Lake 1 Samye 1 Saraswati Mahal Library 1 Solapur 1 Tara Tarini 1 Thanjavur district 1 Thiruparankundram 1 Thiruvananthapuram 1 Tiruvannamalai 1 Trichy 1 Vadukku Poigainallur 1 Vaitheeswaran Temple 1 Vidisha 1 Vikramashila 1 Vimala 1 Vrindavan 1 Western Ghats 1 Adyar Ahobilam Amona Barasat

KindTradition Rite Charm Oracle Substance Being Figure Text Illusion Belief

PurposeProtection Healing Seeing and foretelling Luck and prosperity Love and attraction Cursing and harm Cleansing and purification Speaking with spirits and the dead Change and initiation Binding and oaths Power and authority Wonder and entertainment

WhoShamans Folk healers Priests and ritual specialists Witches, sorcerers and cunning folk Diviners and readers Mediums and the possessed Ceremonial magicians and alchemists Households and ordinary people Stage magicians Scholars and sceptics

BeliefHindu and Tantric Buddhist Jain Muslim and Sufi Jewish Christian Sikh Zoroastrian Shinto and Taoist Indigenous and shamanic African and Afro-diasporic Pagan and Neopagan Esoteric and occult Folk and village custom Secular and stage Other traditions

OccasionWeddings and betrothal Festivals Birth and childhood Death and remembrance Harvest, farming and weather New year Initiation and coming of age Illness and misfortune Journeys and voyages Everyday use

StandingLiving Revived Fading Historical Legendary Performed

OrderBest known A to Z Newest Living first

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka and 1 moreKataragama templeකතරගම / கதிர்காமம் முருகன் கோயில் A Sri Lankan shrine shared by Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims and VeddasTradition · Protection · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living

🇮🇳 IndiaTaraतारा (Sanskrit), তারা (Bengali) A fierce Hindu goddess of protection and wisdom, central to the Mahavidya tradition.Being · Protection · Power and authority Living

🇮🇳 India and 2 moreKalachakraདུས་ཀྱི་འཁོར་ལོ། A Tibetan Buddhist tantric deity and system of yogic time cyclesTradition · Change and initiation · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living

🇮🇳 IndiaNechung Oracleགནས་ཆུང་ཏ་བླ་མ The official prophetic medium and spiritual advisor to Tibet's Dalai LamaOracle · Seeing and foretelling · Protection Living

🇮🇳 India and 2 moreHomaहोम A fire ritual found across Asian religions where offerings are burned as a votive exchange with the divine.Rite · Protection · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living

🇪🇬 Egypt and 4 moreAnimal sacrifice The ritual killing of livestock or wild animals as an offering to deitiesRite · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Power and authority Historical 🇮🇳 IndiaPanchagavya A fermented mixture of five cow products used in Hindu rituals and Ayurvedic traditions.Substance · Cleansing and purification · Healing Living

🇮🇳 India and 1 moreMantraमन्त्रम् A sacred sound or phrase repeated to focus the mind and invoke spiritual powerText · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Power and authority Living

🇮🇷 Iran and 5 moreMagi Priests of Zoroastrianism and the figures who inspired the word for magicTradition · Seeing and foretelling · Power and authority Living

🇮🇳 India and 5 morePretaप्रेत A suffering spirit of insatiable hunger found in Asian religious traditionsBeing · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living

🇮🇳 India and 2 moreTrial by ordeal An ancient judicial test where guilt or innocence was decided by surviving a painful physical trial.Rite · Cursing and harm Historical

🇸🇩 Sudan and 5 moreIncense Aromatic plant materials burned to release fragrant smoke for ritual, scent, or timekeeping.Substance · Protection · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living

🇮🇳 IndiaKavu Sacred forest patches in South India that protect local deities and wildlifeTradition · Protection · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living

🇮🇳 India and 1 moreNavagrahaनवग्रह A group of nine celestial deities in Hinduism that govern fate and astrologyTradition · Protection · Luck and prosperity Living 🇮🇷 Iran and 2 moreHaoma A divine plant and spirit in Zoroastrianism, linked to healing and ancient rituals.Substance · Healing · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living

🇮🇳 India and 1 moreAmritaअमृत (Sanskrit) A Sanskrit concept of immortality and the nectar that grants it across Indian religionsBelief · Healing · Power and authority Living

🇸🇾 Syria and 5 moreBaetyl A sacred stone, often a meteorite, believed to house a deity in ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean traditions.Charm · Power and authority · Speaking with spirits and the dead Historical

🇮🇳 India and 2 moreYantraयन्त्र A geometric diagram from Indian traditions used for worship and meditationTradition · Protection · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living

🇮🇷 Iran and 2 moreSomaसोम A sacred ritual drink of the ancient Vedic religion and its Iranian counterpartSubstance · Power and authority · Speaking with spirits and the dead Historical 🇮🇳 IndiaPashupata Shaivismपाशुपत An early Hindu ascetic school focused on liberation through ritual and devotion to ShivaTradition · Cursing and harm · Power and authority Historical

🇮🇳 IndiaSarnaism A tribal faith centered on nature worship and sacred groves in eastern IndiaTradition · Protection · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living

🇮🇳 India and 5 moreAncestor worship Rites of respect for the dead that maintain family bonds and seek spiritual guidanceTradition · Protection · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living

🇪🇬 Egypt and 5 moreSacred dance Movement used in worship to honour deities, heal communities, or connect with the spirit world.Tradition · Protection · Healing Living

🇮🇳 India and 3 moreYakshiniयक्षिणी Some guard, some haunt: female nature spirits of Hindu, Buddhist and Jain loreBeing · Protection · Luck and prosperity Living

🇮🇳 India and 1 moreDiyaदीया A small oil lamp used in prayers and festivals across the Indian subcontinentTradition · Protection · Luck and prosperity Living

🇮🇳 India and 5 moreMandalaमण्डल A sacred geometric design used in Indian religions for meditation and spiritual mapping.Tradition · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Wonder and entertainment Living

🇮🇳 India and 4 moreShivaशिव A principal Hindu deity of destruction and yoga, worshipped across South and Southeast AsiaBeing · Power and authority · Change and initiation Living

🇮🇳 IndiaKaliकाली A fierce Hindu goddess of time and destruction, worshipped as a protective mother.Being · Protection · Cursing and harm Living

🇮🇳 India and 2 moreDurga Pujaদুর্গাপূজা A ten-day autumn festival honouring the goddess Durga and her victory over evil.Tradition · Protection · Luck and prosperity Living

🇬🇷 Greece and 2 moreAstragalomancy Divination by casting marked bones, carved rods, or numbered diceOracle · Seeing and foretelling · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living

🇮🇳 India and 1 moreŚrāddhaश्राद्ध A Hindu rite of ancestor worship involving food offerings and fire ritualsRite · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Cleansing and purification Living

🇮🇱 Israel and 3 moreCleromancy A divination method that uses random chance to reveal divine willOracle · Seeing and foretelling · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living

🇮🇳 India and 5 moreSnake worship Veneration of serpents as divine or ancestral beings across global culturesTradition · Protection · Healing Living

🇨🇳 China and 4 moreSky burialབྱ་གཏོར་ A Tibetan funerary rite where human remains are offered to scavenging birdsRite · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Change and initiation Living

🇮🇳 India and 4 moreBonབོན། The indigenous religion of Tibet and the Himalayas, preserving ancient rituals alongside Buddhist teachings.Tradition · Protection · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living

🇮🇳 India and 2 moreSuryaसूर्य The sun as a Hindu deity and the source of light and knowledgeBeing · Power and authority · Healing Historical

🇮🇳 India and 5 moreKartikeyaKārttikeya Hindu god of war and victory, son of Shiva and ParvatiBeing · Power and authority · Protection Living

🇮🇳 IndiaMangalaमंगल (Maṅgala) A Hindu deity of Mars, war, and the planet's red lightBeing · Power and authority · Protection Living

🇮🇳 IndiaKautuka A red or yellow ritual thread worn for protection in South Asian traditionsCharm · Protection Living

🇮🇳 India and 1 moreUpanayanaउपनयन A Hindu rite of passage marking a student's initiation into formal education and spiritual discipline.Rite · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Power and authority Living

🇬🇷 Greece and 5 moreVotive offering Objects left in sacred places to honor a deity or fulfill a vow, never to be recovered.Tradition · Protection · Healing Living

🇮🇳 IndiaKamakhya Templekamakhya mondir A Hindu temple in Assam known for its yoni shrine and the Ambubachi Mela festivalTradition · Protection · Healing Living

🇮🇳 India and 5 moreBhairavaभैरव A fierce manifestation of Shiva and a Buddhist protector deity worshipped across South and East Asia.Being · Protection · Cursing and harm Living 🇮🇳 IndiaNew moon cleansing (sample) Smoke and water used to mark a lunar month.Rite · Cleansing and purification Fading

🇮🇳 IndiaSanamahismꯁꯅꯥꯃꯍꯤ ꯂꯥꯏꯅꯤꯡ The polytheistic ethnic religion of the Meitei people of Manipur, IndiaTradition · Protection · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

Homa: Vyacheslav Argenberg, CC BY 4.0, source
Tara: Chore Bagan Art Studio, Public domain, source
Kalachakra: Nabin K. Sapkota, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Sanamahism: Kayia N, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Animal sacrifice: Wilfredor, CC0, source
Mantra: Markrosenrosen, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Magi: Colijn de Coter, CC0, source
Preta: Temple, Richard Carnac, Sir, Public domain, source
Trial by ordeal: James Sibree, Public domain, source
Incense: nakimusi, CC BY 2.0, source
Kavu: Ashwin.appus, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Navagraha: Kiran891, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Amrita: http://picasaweb.google.com/injamaven, CC BY 3.0, source
Baetyl: Jusepe de Ribera, Public domain, source
Yantra: Photo by Daniel Conrad (Chromacon), artwork by Daniel Conrad under dir, Public domain, source
Soma: Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Sarnaism: বুদ্ধি, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Ancestor worship: Lyn Gateley, CC BY 2.0, source
Sacred dance: Jorge Barrios, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Yakshini: Brihaspati, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Diya: Suyash Dwivedi, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Mandala: Marion Golsteijn, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Shiva: Indianhilbilly, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Kali: Raja Ravi Varma, Public domain, source
Durga Puja: Subhrajyoti07, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Astragalomancy: Roland zh, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Śrāddha: Billjones94, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Cleromancy: Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld, Public domain, source
Snake worship: Alexandermcnabb, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Sky burial: FishOil at English Wikipedia, Public domain, source
Bon: Jialiang Gao (peace-on-earth.org), CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Surya: Ravi Varma Press, Public domain, source
Kartikeya: Dassmahen, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Mangala: E. A. Rodrigues, Public domain, source
Kautuka: Aditya.Asopa, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Upanayana: vinodbahal, CC BY 2.0, source
Votive offering: Walter J. Pilsak, Waldsassen ( W.J.Pilsak at de.wikipedia ), CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Kamakhya Temple: JyotiPN, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Bhairava: Saankav, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Nechung Oracle: Christopher Michel, CC BY 2.0, source
Kataragama temple: Ghostface Buddha, CC BY-SA 2.0, source